Long trips in automobiles are generally tedious for all passengers, but are particularly so for children. To alleviate some of the boredom, children are typically given games, toys and books to occupy their time. As can be attested to by many parents, efforts to coordinate and organize such trips are severely exasperated by the added paraphernalia required to keep a young child content. In addition, the games, toys and books eventually become scattered throughout the interior of the automobile, further adding to the burden.
Travelling with a child becomes even more complicated by their sometimes erratic eating habits. In an attempt to avoid excessive stops, food is often packed in the car for the child to consume while on the road. As can be expected, the inevitable result is an automobile interior that is soiled with the food that does not succeed in being consumed by the child.
Consequently, parents will often look for ways to make trips more comfortable and pleasurable for the child, which directly or indirectly will reduce the burden on the parent. Past efforts include play pens such as that taught by U.S. Pat. No. 2,532,007 to Biasell. Biasell discloses a seat attachment that, as constructed within the confines of an automobiles back seat, forms a child's play pen. However, the play pen taught by Biasell cannot sufficiently contain the mess of which a child is capable, nor is it legal in many jurisdictions with child passenger restraint laws requiring infant child seats.
As can be appreciated from the above, it would be desirable to provide a device which is adapted to be easily installed within a car for purposes of confining a child's toys and games during extended automobile trips. It would be additionally desirable to provide a device which can serve to protect the car's interior when the child is eating.
Accordingly, what is needed is an entertainment and feeding device for use by children in automobiles which provides compartments for storing toys and games, a place setting for food service, and in addition is able to protect the interior of the car from being soiled by food.